Your Independent Journal from the Heartland
In 2025 it was hard to be a human who cares about the Earth, especially for Americans. However the rest of the world is not burdened by a blundering baboon like we are, so they have actually made progress. Apologies to baboons for my specist slur.
One area of advancement is electric vehicles. The USA has fallen behind most of the world because government subsidies were cut, but Europe, China and other countries are embracing EVs. The European Union has banned sales of new internal combustion engines by 2035, compelling carmakers to redesign their entire product lines and get ahead of the changes.
According to greencars.com, the big advancement is the switch from liquid-based lithium-ion to solid-state batteries, which can store more energy in the same space and boost charging range by 50%. Solid-state also charges faster, reduces risk of fire, and has a longer life span. Further, solid-state batteries use far fewer rare-Earth minerals, so their components are cheaper and less problematic to extract from the ground. The old battery materials have been mined using abusive child labor in Africa by Chinese companies lacking a conscience.
The new batteries have been extensively tested and should go into mass production for cars, trucks, even boats and airplanes, this year.
It’s a win-win-win for consumers, companies and our ecology.
On the legal front, there is progress being made to hold polluters accountable for damage from their products. Oil and natural gas producers make profits of $3 trillion a year and “The general idea behind these polluter pay laws is a basic one: If you make a mess, you should clean it up,” said Kimberly Ong, an attorney at Natural Resources Defense Council. This type of superfund law would require fossil fuel firms to fund accounts that would protect residents from future climate damage. New York and Vermont have already passed such laws and several states including California are moving to do the same.
Meanwhile, renewable energy production is growing. Earth Island Institute reported that as of last October, renewable sources like solar, wind and hydro provided more electricity than coal worldwide for the first time ever. Another report by the International Energy Agency estimates that global renewable capacity could double by 2030, plenty to handle the world’s growing electricity demands.
In America, the surprising leaders of sustainably generated energy are the oil states of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. Globally, China and India are the leading nations on renewables while the USA under the Oaf of Office leads the way in sticking our head up our asses.
In another legal matter, The International Court of Justice, a prestigious-sounding institution that lacks real teeth of enforcement, nonetheless issued a ruling last July affirming that nations have a binding legal duty to prevent climate harm and protect human rights from the impacts of climate change. The Center of International Environmental Law (CIEL) applauded the Court’s decision and declared the era of fossil fuel impunity over. The International Court and the CIEL might seem to be flailing above their weight class but they could have a strong influence in guiding climate litigation at the local, state and national court levels around the world.
Is this decision merely wishful thinking? Maybe, but as we’ve found out here in the USA, the foundation of democracy rests more on the cooperation of its participants than on its structure and legal power. Before democracy, no one dared to assert that all of us are created equal.
In reviewing the progress and pitfalls of our so-called stewardship of the Earth, we should care enough about protecting our planet to democratize our legal system so it include rights for plants and animals, and even the land, air and water of our world.
Our survival and thrival depend on it.
Frank Lingo, based in Lawrence, Kansas, is a former columnist for the Kansas City Star and author of the novel “Earth Vote.”
Email lingofrank@gmail.com
See his website: Greenbeat.world
